It finally happened! The number of NPA and their supporters who have been neutralized this year has surpassed the last number of estimated remaining NPA rebels.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1279388 |
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said a total of 812 New People's Army (NPA) members and their supporters were reported "neutralized" from Jan. 1 to July 9 this year.
"Neutralized" is a military term which refers to surrender, capture or killing of enemy troops.
Of this number, 720 surrendered, 32 were arrested and 60 killed in various military operations nationwide, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Padilla said a total of 564 firearms and 229 anti-personnel mines were either seized or captured during the same period, along with 33 encampments.
"Bawat armas na naisuko ay isang buhay na maaring mailigtas (every surrendered firearm means a possible life saved)," she said.
The AFP spokesperson added that for every NPA communist insurgent who surrendered, one family is again given a chance to be complete and another chance for a brighter future.
For the whole of 2025, the military said its units have neutralized around 2,018 NPAs and their supporters.
Of the total, 1,798 have surrendered with 93 arrested, and 127 killed in various military operations nationwide.
About 1,134 firearms and 531 anti-personnel mines were either seized or surrendered during the same period, and a total of 149 NPA encampments were also captured.
Again, they do not break those numbers down between supporters and rebels. But how can there be more supporters than actual rebels? It defies all commonsense especially as the AFP claims the NPA is losing support. The last estimated number of rebels was 780.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1264624 |
From tens of thousands during their heyday, the number of New People's Army (NPA) rebels all over the country has dwindled to less than 1,000, a ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said Thursday, citing a "recent report."
"A recent report that we have received [indicates that] there are only 780 NPAs all over the country," NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a media briefing marking the 7th founding anniversary of the task force.
"That's relatively small because at their peak [in the 1980s], they numbered to about 25,000," he added.
Torres did not identify the source of the report nor give additional details regarding its contents. But according to him, these NPA remnants are holed up in the mountains, with some curious about the various programs the government is offering to former rebels.
Perhaps we should stop believing any and all numbers the AFP provides since they do not want to disclose their sources or break them down into appropriate categories. Without separating supporters from armed rebels, these figures become almost impossible to evaluate.
The AFP is now celebrating the dismantling of the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/15/afp-cpp-npa-northeastern-mindanao-regional-committee-dismantled |
Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. recently announced that the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) has been dismantled.
“We have declared the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines dismantled, and that is because of your hard work,” he said during a recent farewell visit to the 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division. “So, congratulations po sa inyong lahat (Congratulations to you).” Brawner is retiring from the service on Tuesday, July 21.
Brawner, a former commander of the 4th ID, commended troops for their dedicated service and unwavering commitment to peace and development efforts.
He said the neutralization of key New People’s Army leaders and the dismantling of the NEMRC paved the way for the declaration of a Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status in the Caraga region.
Brawner thanked local officials and media for their all-out support to the government’s peace and development program.
“It doesn't matter whether you are assigned in the field or assigned here at headquarters. All of us have a role to play, and all of us contribute to the success of the division,” Brawner said.
Brawner thanked the 4th ID for their support from his time as division commander to AFP chief of staff.
"Maraming salamat from the bottom of my heart for all the support you have given me during my term as the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, during my term as the commanding general, Philippine Army, and now as Chief of Staff," he added.
The 4th ID and the Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command presented Brawner with a memento in recognition of his steadfast leadership and dedicated service.
The event concluded with a boodle fight among troops and guests.
Funny the AFP gives no concrete proof it has been dismantled. They just declare it to be so. On what basis? Because a few leaders have been killed? That means nothing. There are likely stragglers out there and maybe even a new leader.
The capital of Eastern Samar, Borongan City, has been declared insurgency-free.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1279345 |
This city was declared on Monday as insurgency-free, becoming the 21st local government unit in Eastern Samar to achieve the security milestone.
The declaration of the city under the Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition (SIPSC), was led by the Philippine Army's 8th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Peter Burgonio, Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales, Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda and Vice Gov. Maricor Sison-Goteesan, who represented Gov. Ralph Vincent Evardone.
In his message, Agda stressed that the SIPSC declaration should not mark the end of the city's peace efforts but should instead inspire continued collaboration among government agencies and communities to sustain peace and development.
"Let us work together, even with this declaration that we are already free from these peace challenges. This should not stop us in our resolve to fight for good governance, accountability, and our care for others," Agda said.
The mayor recalled that when he assumed office in 2019, the city experienced two bombing incidents — one in the remote village of Barangay Pinanag-an that killed several soldiers and another along the national highway in Barangay Libuton that claimed the lives of police personnel and injured several civilians.
Since then, the city government has strengthened its peace and development initiatives by encouraging active communist rebels to surrender and reintegrate into society through government assistance, including livelihood support and employment opportunities under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.
The city also continued to invest in road infrastructure connecting interior barangays to the national road network. Of Borongan's 61 barangays, only Baras and Pinanag-an remain accessible solely by motorboat.
Despite the SIPSC declaration, Burgonio assured residents that the military would maintain its presence in Borongan, particularly in hinterland communities such as those along the Suribao River, to preserve peace gains and support development programs.
"We will not leave Borongan City. Instead, we are stepping up our presence here to sustain peace efforts," Burgonio said.
He also urged barangay officials to continue improving the delivery of government services and safeguard the peace achieved through the collective efforts of the military, police, local government units, and communities.
Borongan is the 21st local government unit in Eastern Samar to be declared under SIPSC. The municipalities of Dolores and Jipapad are the only remaining local government units in the province yet to receive the declaration.
The SIPSC is jointly conferred by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police on provinces, cities, and municipalities that have dismantled insurgent influence, recorded zero violent incidents between government forces and rebels, and cleared guerrilla operations.
Other parameters include established functional peace and order mechanisms signifying that insurgency-related threats have been reduced to manageable levels, creating opportunities for sustained socio-economic development, increased investments, and tourism.
Yet, despite this declaration the military is staying to ensure the peace. That means there are still NPA rebel holdouts. There is still a chance for the rebellion to flare up.
The NPA remains a threat as in Victorias they assassinated an alleged informant and a former comrade.
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| https://negrosnowdaily.com/npa-admits-twin-slay-in-victorias/ |
The New People’s Army (NPA) has claimed responsibility for the fatal shootings of their former comrade and an alleged military informant in Barangay Gawahon, Victorias City, Negros Occidental on July 10.
In a statement, the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command accused Jerome Seballos of being an intelligence asset of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly its Intelligence Service.
They also accused Seballos of being among those allegedly responsible for the April 19 encounter in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, where 19 individuals identified as NPA members had been killed.
They further linked Seballos to the death of two NPA cadres identified as Nonoy “Ka Jojo” Ponteras and Marissa “Ka Rens” Pobresa in 2024.
Rebel spokesperson Ka Cecil Estrella said their special partisan unit recovered a caliber .45 pistol from Seballos.
The rebel group claimed that the second victim, Alex Cunanan, 59, a resident of Barangay Gawahon, had allegedly betrayed the NPA, where he used to be affiliated, by assisting military operations in E.B. Magalona.
A caliber .45 pistol and a shotgun were also seized from Cunanan, they added.
The threat is far from over in the Visayas.
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